The networking programme launched in Kuching yesterday aimed at intensifying local tourism activities and promoting current, popular tourism products and packages, said Tourism Malaysia in a press release issued yesterday.

The business networking programme also acted as an exchange programme to woo Sarawakians to visit Pahang and the east coast states, following the first series of ‘Jom Ke Sarawak’ networking programme held at Kota Bharu, Kelantan and Pulau Pinang in May this year.

Tourism Malaysia Deputy director general Iskandar Mirza Mohd Yusof who launched the programme described it as the best platform for industry players from Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang as well as those from Sarawak to collaborate and exchange ideas on the reactivation of respective tourism packages.

“Based on the survey conducted by the Malaysian Statistics Department (DOSM), domestic tourist arrival in 2021 was down to 66 million from 131.7 million in 2020,” he said.

The total turnover made from domestic tourists was also down to RM18.4 billion in 2021 from RM40.4 billion garnered in 2020, he disclosed.

When inter-district travel resumed in October 2021, Tourism Malaysia reinstated its ‘Cuti-Cuti Malaysia’ campaign to boost domestic tourism sector with the prevention of Ringgit to flow out and rehabilitation of national tourism industry in mind.

“We can also see changes in the trend and direction of Malaysians which focused more on natural, experiential tourism, Instagrammable and gastronomy concepts,” he said.

With the three times per week direct flight between Kota Bharu and Kuching put in place, all existing packages involving Pahang and Terengganu in particular, can therefore be developed further, he added.

Also present at the launching of the programme were Tourism Pahang general manager Kamaruddin Ibrahim; Malaysian Eastern regional manager Zuraini Abdul Ghani; and Terengganu Tourism Department assistant director Nurul Mardiana Abdul Alim.